Delivering some of the most bottom-dredging, soulless,
nihilistic metal imaginable, built of the most slamming chords and grueling
buildups and penetrated from every side with the most corrosive vocal tirades,
the quartet truly lives by a code of depravity within a wealth of anti-human
views. The members’ hatred for the world exists even within the unit; turmoil
within the ranks of LORD MANTIS is a constant factor. The
band has culminated their contempt for humankind and some of the
most horrific personal experiences over recent years into an exceptionally
malevolent entity on Death Mask.
Unleashing something far darker even than their prior LP’s released via Seventh
Rule and Candlelight, the visceral punishment one will endure on the seven
works of Death Mask is
not for the weak.

The fifty-minute Death Mask was
recorded with Sanford Parker (Twilight, Voivod, Eyehategod, Yob) at
Chicago-based Electrical Audio and Soma Studios, also responsible for
engineering both prior albums. Indian’s guitarist/vocalist Dylan O’Toole also
contributed additional vocals on two of the tracks on Death Mask, adding yet another dose
of nihilism to the record, which bears the warped cover art of
tattooist/musician Jef Whitehead (Leviathan, Twilight).

The Band :

Charlie Fell | Bass/vocals

Bill Bumgardner | Drums

Andrew Markuszewski | Guitars/backing vocals

Ken Sorceron | Guitars

Who are Lord Mantis?

My first taste of Chicago’s Lord Mantis
came in 2012 with their second full-length ‘Perverter’. The cover art alone was
enough to pull me in. Anytime religion is depicted in a negative way, you can
count me in. The album is so heavy, packed full of distorted and bludgeoning
riffs. There is not one bad song on this record. It is one album that I thought
would be extremely hard to follow up.

Once again, with the release of ‘Death
Mask’, Lord Mantis find themselves amidst a shitstorm of controversy over the
cover art, which as you can see above, depicts a semi-bound, tortured looking
transvestite wearing what is most likely s death mask. As far as all that shit goes,
I’m not going to waste any of my time or yours talking about it. Bass
player/vocalist Charlie Fell has taken care of all of that business in his
interview with Steel for Brains.

With that being said, what I am going
to talk about are the seven tormented tracks of blackened thrash/sludge that
make up the stellar ‘Death Mask’. Things get going with the thick, fuzzy guitar
intro on “Body Choke,” which gives way to several tormented screams, before
kicking into a deep, evil churn. The title track is monumentally heavy, and so punishing,
a pace which it maintains from start to finish, never once letting you catch
your breath.

“Possession Prayer” starts off with a distorted
riff and vocalist/bassist Charlie Fell and guitarist/backing vocalist Andrew
Markuszewski chanting, “Blood, rust, incinerate,” a phrase which is oft
repeated throughout this massive display of crushing metal . The instrumental, “You
Will Gag For The Fix,” which I’m assuming is a reference to sucking dick for
drugs, brings things way down a couple of notches. Somber piano keys are played
over a bed of apocalyptic distortion and feedback. It’s over quick.

“Negative Birth” is a lumbering slab of
sludge, a downward spiral if you will, into a vast ocean of nothingness.
Charlie’s vocals are so fucking powerful, it is frightening. “Coil” shows just
how versatile Lord Mantis can be. The song, not as heavy as the rest of the
album, has no sung vocals, just Charlie speaking through some keys and changing
his voice into a robotic version of himself. It sounds really cool over the
music. The closer, “Three Crosses,” is the longest song clocking in at a little
over ten minutes. It is a grand, mounting masterpiece that weaves its way in
and out of your speakers with waning, progressive guitar chords and deafening, powerful
drum beats.

Tortured, evil minds with bleak, dark thoughts.
That is who Lord Mantis are. Charlie, Bill, Andrew and Ken are firing on all
cylinders, and they follow up their last album ‘Perverter’ with an even better,
more epic sounding record. So many bands fail to do this, but not Lord Mantis.
They will drag you through the very bowels of hell and back several times
throughout the course of ‘Death Mask’. It’s a dark and twisted journey, one
that you will gladly want to make over and over again.

In the fall of 2011, Below was formed in Sweden by three wicked minds. After a discussion about why doom bands of today either lacked melodies or tried to sound as retro as possible, they decided to start a doom band that would pay tribute to epic and dark sound of: Nightfall by Candlemass, Headless Cross by Black Sabbath and Conspiracy by King Diamond.

The original three wicked minds pitched the idea to two other sinful souls, who immediately understood what Below was going to be about and with no hesitation, joined the band.

Below started writing songs and in November of 2012 and a 4-track EP was recorded at Deep Blue Studios in Sweden. By this time, Tobiee of Howlin Owl Productions heard of the band and asked to act as manager for the band. The EP was sent to various magazines, labels and people in the business and was praised by everybody who gave the songs a listen. Metal Hammer Germany awarded the EP a 9/10 rating.

With only one, unreleased EP, the band was able to book a 10 day tour through Denmark, Holland and Germany as opening act for Devil from Norway. The final show of that tour was the Hammer Of Doom festival in Germany.

Eventually, the EP landed in the hands of Metal Blade Records, who saw the band's potential and offered them a deal.

Below recorded their debut album early fall of 2013 at Andy LaRocque's (King Diamond) Sonic Train Studios. The full length will be released during 2014 through Metal Blade Records. Belowoffered up the following comment on recording:"To have the opportunity to work with Andy La Rocque and Olof in Sonic Train Studios is amazing. It will be a truly epic album that will leave its mark in the history of doom."

Producer and legendary King Diamond guitarist Andy La Rocque added; "This is one of the heaviest bands I have worked with in the studio for a very long time, and the sounds so far is amazing! And always great to work with great musicians!"

A 7" split with Sweden's Anguish is also planned for release in November 2013 through Dark Descent records

The Band :

Zeb | VoxHedman | BassPaud | GuitarBerg | GuitarDoc | Drums

Review :

Sweden has birthed yet another Epic Doom Metal band in a few young metal heads that call themselves Below. Apparently the band was formed out of love, admiration and respect of greats like Candlemass, King Diamond and Black Sabbath. The band quickly got together and released an EP and started shopping it around. As luck would have it, Metal Blade Records would be the first label to jump on signing the band. Not surprising, Metal Blade are the kings of signing up and coming talent.

Below's debut album is entitled ‘Across The Dark River’, and while it's loaded to the gills with Epic Doom, it's also jam packed with a Power Metal feel in terms of the vocals. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear this were a Power Metal band, alas it is not. Lyrically, musically and dramatically, ‘Across The Dark River’ is a throw back album of sorts to the days when Sabbath were still making decent albums with vocalist Tony Martin. Lyrically speaking, it's all about the darkness, the horror and what lurks in the murky depths. In that respect you can hear and feel sincerity for King Diamond coming through. The album could also resemble a musical of sorts similar to Phantom of the Opera, where every track is placed correctly to carry you through a different act in the play.

Huge sing along choruses can be heard on tracks like “Trapped Underground”, “Portal”, “Bid You Farewell” and “Mare Of The Night; and as an old school Metal Head, I can tell you, this is a much needed shot in the arm in the Doom Metal genre. Musically, ‘Across The Dark River’ is as solid as they come in the Metal genre, tumultuous guitar riffs, well placed melodies and some blistering lead guitar wizardry which is also a plus in this day and age.

Every track on the album doesn’t get too speedy in any regard nor does it feel rushed or forced, the band just seems happy to bring you along for the journey making the lyrical aspect of the album ever so believable. Personally, the track that stands out the most to me is “The White Chapel Murderer” and why wouldn't it be, the story of Jack The Ripper has been told a many times in and out of song (ex. see The Ripper by Judas Priest), but none are as exhilarating as this track, the vocals are incredible, sometimes reaching the falsetto's made popular by Halford/King Diamond. The lyrics are mind numbingly frightening and the music adds the final nail in the coffin – sombre melodic riffs/leads and a back beat that could choke the life out of you if played back through a proper sound system.

Below have seemingly done a great job on ‘Across The Dark River’, they've successfully displayed their influences without beating a dead horse, they've brought the listener in and made them a part of the story and last but not least they've sonically released a great product. Then again you can't go wrong with when you've got long time Kind Diamond guitarist/producer Andy La Rocque twisting the knobs. I strongly recommend this disc/vinyl if you're into Epic Doom Metal, Candlemass, King Diamond, Sabbath, Savatage or any kind of music with a strong Horror theme.

German psych-rockers, KADAVAR, have just announced the release of a special edition of last year’s critically-acclaimed 'Abra Kadavar' album. The 2CD package, 'Abra Kadavar Special Edition', will include the original tracklisting of 'Abra Kadavar' plus a bonus track, as well as a full live show recently recorded in Antwerp, Belguim.The live recording will also be released separately on vinyl, simply entitled 'Live In Antwerp', as a 2LP set featuring the full live concert.

'Abra Kadavar Special Edition' and 'Live In Antwerp' will be released on June 09th 2014 via Nuclear Blast.

After extensive touring this year, Kadavar comment;'With over 250 shows played, we have always considered ourselves as an absolute live band. Our sound on stage is different from the one on the studio albums and thus we’ve been asked time and again, why we don’t do a live release. The time seemed right now and on our last EU tour we recorded some of the shows. Antwerp was the best of them. I would even say one of the best in 2013. Everything was right, people were in a great mood and I am very happy with the sound – especially since it does not sound like every other live album!”

Old Empire in association with Infected Brain and SevenChurches present:

A stable of the European circuit for many years, Germany’s finest purveyors of Death and Doom return to the UK for the first time since 2005 and for the first time as headliners.

Meaning ‘’Dead Christ’’ in Greek, Necros Christos provides music lovers with a type of Death Metal which distorts the mind and borders on the avant-garde.

Fans of Proclamation, Autopsy, Hellhammer and Sonne Adam should feel at home listening to Necros Christos ply their trade, or even Doom loving fans accustomed to Celtic Frost and Sunn O))) should have no problem when listening to Necros Christos.

Make no mistake, Necros Christos provide a crushing live performance with traditional Arab Folk instrumentals and organ music psalms devouring the senses between each track, this is a live show not to be missed.

Following the release of their Traverser LP via Toxic Assets in November, Austin's caustic sludge metal trio, LIONS OF TSAVO, continue to tour the American landscape in support of the album. The band is currently embarked on their latest trek with another five cities still in its path, including Atlanta this evening, April 28th, and Birmingham, Jackson, Shreveport and Dallas next to get slammed this week LIONS OF TSAVO plough homeward.

LIONS OF TSAVO Spring Tour [remaining dates]:

4/28/2014 529 Bar - Atlanta, GA

4/29/2014 The Forge - Birmingham, AL

4/30/2014 TBA - Jackson, MS

5/01/2014 Fatty Arbuckle's - Shreveport, LA

5/02/2014 Chichen Itza - Dallas, TX

After a long absence between releases, LIONS OF TSAVO returned with their long and winding third full-length manifesto, Traverser. While not far-removed from the attack shown on Firelung, the band splices in more breathing space in the newer material, and matched with their torrential onslaught of amplification, their debilitating, diverse alloy of metallic sludge is unquestionably more devastatingly memorable on Traverser. Eviscerating landscapes through blood spitting riffs and mind altering psychedelics, Traverser is both destruction and redemption incarnate; a conceptual album where the music, lyrics and artwork align, and cannot be separated. Washington-based Toxic Assets released the album on CD in November, while a vinyl edition remains on deck for release later in 2014.

Additional upcoming LIONS OF TSAVO live actions will be continually announced into the Summer months. In the meantime, stream all of Traverser and purchase the digital/CD versions of the record HERE.

Heavy Metal is not just about music: it's a way of life, a motivating mind-set, a positive force and an inspirational belief system.

ORANGE GOBLIN, not just the UK's reigning champions of balls-out, party-starting, booze-fuelled metal, but one of the very best live rock bands of all time, the mighty Goblin have been a permanent and universally admired fixture on the British metal circuit.

Co-headlining this special pairing are SAINT VITUS, completing a special run of live rituals to celebrate their astounding thirty-fifth anniversary! The band will be performing the planet-rumbling Born Too Late album — the first SAINT VITUS outing to feature the imperious voice of Scott “Wino” Weinrich — in its entirety alongside other renowned VITUS hymns.

Special guests are to be announced but will make this the heaviest billing for a long time

Monday, 28 April 2014

Crossing
crust/grind with dirty sludge riffs, along the lines of Eyehategod
smashing bottles over Wolfbrigade whilst Iron Monkey and Electric
Wizard arm wrestle in the pub across the road.

The
Band Members

BEN
- SUB AND DUB

ARTHUR
- RIFFS AND BIFFS

FLID
- BINS AND SKINS

The Low-Down:

Boycott
The Baptist are one lean and mean pissed off Sludge/Crust/Grind/Doom
Metal Band. They are starting to make a name for themselves within
the UK Sludge Metal scene.

This
ain't for the faint hearted as these torturous noise-terrorists know
how to make one loud fucking racket. It ain't pretty and it can be
downright ugly but why the hell can I not stop listening to their
free EP which is available to download from their Reverbnation Page. It's one
disgusting mean and brutal as fuck EP that grabs you by the balls and
doesn't let go until the dying seconds.

The
EP is only on for 5 minutes or so but it shows what Boycott The
Baptist are all about. On this form they could be one of the loudest
upcoming Crust/Punk/Sludge Metal bands the UK has to offer. I can't
wait to see what these guys can do when they are unleashed on a full
length record.

Be
warned. This music is only for people who have the guts to listen
something that is brutal and very dangerous.

Since
the year of our Lord 2007, Barabbas have been lavishing moral
soothing, spiritual peace and irreversible tinnitus on the lost
metallic sheep pushing at the doors of their Sonic Church of the Holy
Redeemer Riff.

Apostles
of a doom following the traditional Holy Trinity of Black Sabbath,
Saint-Vitus and Cathedral, the french congregation have taken their
time to personalise their catechism before preaching live (and
sometimes in the desert…) and to concoct their first lead-plated
communion: 33.33 minutes of monolithic canticles to redeem the sins
of the new French chanson and regain the original innocence of Adam
and Eve headbanging in the garden of Eden.

Barabbas
pardon those who are offended by the clumsy heaviness of their music,
their relentless repetitiveness and their upfront refusal of
subtlety. As frontman Saint Rodolphe, wisely put it: “The music of
Barabbas may be boring to listen to, but playing it is even worse”

Over
the last couple of years Barabbas played (mostly in and around Paris
but also a couple of times in Rennes) with great bands like The
Wounded Kings, Pilgrim, Windhand, Ataraxie, Voight Kampf, Son of
Zardoz, The Bottle DoomLazy Band...

The
band is actually recording its 1st full-length early this spring,
expect with songs like "le Couteau ou l'Abime", "Le
Male Omega", "Judas est une Femme" or "Le Sabbath
dans la Cathédrale", some more refined Stoner/Doom still
dynamic and overwhelming to convert more doomed hellhounds...

Ite
Missa Est.

The
Band Members

Saint
Rodolphe : la Voix des Anges

Saint
Stéphane : les Accords du Diable

Saint
Jérôme : les Bas Instincts

Saint
Jean-Christophe : les Tambours du Sabbat

The Low-Down:

My
good friend Steph from much missed blog Temple Of Perdition asked me
to promote this excellent band – Barabbas. And when he tells you to check a band they must be something special inded. Well I am happy to say that Steph was right again as Barabbas are a hard-rocking Doom/Stoner
Metal band from France who will appeal to a lot of you as they play
some truly stunning riffs.

The
bio above will tell you need to know. Just headover to BandCamp and
download all of their material now. As these guys are truly something
special. They have a great mixture of High On Fire lurking the
background. It all bodes well for their eagerly awaited debut album
due out in Sept 2014. From this evidence consider me a fan of
Barabbas as I want to hear that album now!!!!

Today's
guests are not that well known but all that is going to change over
the next 12 months or so. As these
guys have just released a brilliant and heavy as fuck demo release
which I described as:

“Dowager
is a band who you should be very afraid of!!!

Dowager's
style of music is very hard to describe. Parts Doom, Sludge, Crust
and hints of violent Blackened Rock and Roll. They feel like a more
twisted version of Church Of Misery though with a more Rock and Roll
edge.

Their
demo release is simply intense from the word go. This demo release is
fucking brilliant. There is no question about that. Dowager have
something special about them that will see them go along way in the
Doom/Sludge Metal world. I urge you to check them out now as I have a
feeling we will be hearing a lot more from these dark overlords over
the next 12 months or so.“

I
decided to find more about this band who deal in the dark arts of
Blackened Crust Sludge/Doom Metal

riffs.
Ladies and Gentleman. DOWAGER.

Q1
– Hi guys. Thanks for doing this. How are things with you today.

HANNES-GUITARS,
JOE-BASS/VOCALS, JK-DRUMS/SAMPLES

We
are great!! cheers for asking!!

Q2
– Can you give a brief history of how the band came about and where
it is today.

Joe-
I formed the band as a one man blackened speed metal thing..as i was
looking for like minded musicians. While i was searching..my writing
style began to slow down and as i looked for uglier riffs, i found
the slower tempos appealed to me more. I had been playing with JK in
another band and i approached him to do DOWAGER full time. It was
around this time that HANNES answered my ad on craigslist...We
jammed..it worked..voila.

Q3
– Now, lets talk about your excellent new demo. We are huge fans of
it here at Sludgelord HQ. Was it an easy or hard demo to record for.

Wow..cheers!!
we are huge fans of the SLUDGELORD here at DOWAGER HQ!!! Ok,I had
recorded LYCANTHROPIC JIHAD by myself and had that as an example of
the style to give to the guys. We then went into the studio,
re-recorded that, and the 2 new ones that we wrote. It was a really
east process..as is writing for us. We all bring riffs and parts to
the table..the songs come fast and furious..we work really well
together.

Q4
– Would you change anything about it or are you happy with the
final version that is being released.

We
dig it..but i must say the new material is more brutal and ugly.

Q5
– What influenced you when writing and recording the album. Or did
you just focus on your own thing.

Totally
focused on our own thing..i think thats why people are digging
it..obviously we have influences..but its got an original vibe to
it..at least we think so.

Q6
– You have read my review of your demo. How would you describe it
yourselves.

Honestly
Steve, could not have said it better than you!!

Q7
– How would yourselves describe your overall sound. As you guys
pack a lot of different sounds though. I do detect a hint of Blues
Vibe lurking on some of the tracks

BLACKENED
SLUDGY DOOM METAL WITH A HINT OF STONER.

Joe-
That would be the vocals mostly..im a huge rock fan and i listen to
EVERYTHING!!i Love the blues and hey..i love BLACK SABBATH!! Blues..
there ya go!!.Also, live at least JK brings an almost JAZZ influenced
drumming style..while keeping it super slow and heavy.

Q8
– Have you received a lot of reviews of your new demo. What has the
feedback been like

Your
review was the first..we have gotten a lot of positive feedback..it
makes us feel great that people are "getting" what were
putting down..Great stuff from other bands too..really cool!

Q9
– Why the name DOWAGER for the band. Any particular reason behind
this.

It
refers to a type of ROYALTY..it sounded cool,and original..and were
the only ones who have the name..we actually TRADEMARKED it!!

Q10
– Who designed the excellent demo cover. And did you have much
input into the overall design.

Joe-His
name is OIK WASFUK..his company is NOTHING SACRED ARTWORK..he has
been doing stuff for me for years,,he is AWESOME!! We gave him a
little direction and let him run with it. Glad you like it!! He also
did our tee shirt design.

Q11
– The demo release is quite a dark and brutal album. Was that the
original intention to release something as dark as this.

YES!!!!!

Q12
– Do you perform gigs on a regular basis in your home town or do
you have to travel further afield to perform regularly.

We
play locally..But we plan to tour extensively.We have a show in
May..and another in June..look for them on youtube.

Q13
– What is the song writing process in the band? Is it a group
collective or is just down to one individual.

We
all bring riffs and sometimes full songs to the table. Writing for us
is extremely fluid. There are no egos and if we dont like
something..we move on..In rehearsal we all add our touches to the
other persons tune and it becomes a DOWAGER song.

Q14
– What are you thoughts on the crowd-funding scene where bands and
artists ask fans to help fund their latest album, tour or release.
Are you fans of this medium. Would yourselves ever go down this
route.

We
think its cool..if someone can get their fans to help fund them, more
power to them. I dont think we'd be AGAINST doing it..its never come
up.

Q15
– What is your live set-up when performing on stage. Any advanced
rigs or are you guys have a morestraight
forward set-up.

Pretty
straight forward.instruments,.amps, pedals. UGLINESS...

Q16
– Which bands and artists influenced you as musicians. Any
particular bands or albums that had a greatimpact
on your life.

Q18
- If you could give any advice to people wanting to start a band what
would it be.

DO
IT.

Q19
- Apart from the new demo release what else do you have in store over
the next 12 months or so. Iheard
you're recording your debut album due out this fall and you have
signed to a label. Congrats on that one. Can you give us more details
on what to expect

Cheers!!
yeah we recently signed to DOMESTIC GENOCIDE RECORDS and have a full
length scheduled for fall/winter 2014 with them. We are REALLY
excited about that!! Before that, we plan on releasing our DEMO with
an additional track..VERY limited on color vinyl, on our own..to tide
people over til the full release..

Q20
– And finally, do you have anything to say to your fans.

Thanks
to everyone who has listened and dug our sound..go to shows and keep
local music alive!!! Watch out cos' were coming to your town!!

Today
I am interviewing Serbian Hard Rock/Stoner Rockers – TONGUE – who
I have been such a fan of over the last few years or so.

Tongue
have released 3 well received EP's and their recently released single
– No Handles To Hold – which sees Tongue deliver their sharpest
and grooviest Stoner Rock single yet. If you're a fan of Nirvana, Foo
Fighters, QOTSA, Kyuss and Fu Manchu then you seriously need to check
out Tongue's awesome back catalogue to see why I rate this band very
highly indeed.

I
originally interviewed Biza back in 2012 but a lot has happened since
then and I decided to catch up with Biza and Tongue's new guitar player – Ana.

So
lets get down to business with TONGUE.

Q1
– Hi Biza. How are things with you today. Thanks for doing this.
It's great catching up. Been a while since we carried out our last
interview.

B:
You're welcome man, it's a pleasure talking with you again.
Sludgelord is amazing and we are willing to talk only with true r'n'r
renegades! I am doing good these days, lots of planning!

Q2
– Can you give people a brief history of your musical background.
How Tongue came about and where it is today.

B:
I've started Tongue as my solo project back in 2010. I wanted
something new and fresh for me at the time, my wish was to expand my
musical creativity.

You
know, i've been playing guitar in a hardcorepunk band for years and
years, put out a lot of records, done some touring, so i came to the
point that i don't have anything more interesting to offer as a main

songwriter.
I think i've reached the top in certain genre, i didn't wanna repeat
myself so here i am looking for a new challenges. My previous band
disbanded the same year so it was perfect time

for
Tongue. After few years of releasing different EP's and exploring i
think we made enough good songs for our first live performances.

Q3
– Since I last interviewed you, Tongue has released 2 more EP's and
a new single. No Handles To Hold. You have been very busy indeed.
Have you received more recognition for your music with Tongue.

B:
You know, we're the band that's still at the beginning even if we
have a few releases out. A lot of people don't know much about us and
that's fine but what i noticed is that people don't dig so much

our
musical diversity, it's like they want us to go in just one direction
so we got some reviews like: "they finally found their thing or
this is the style they should stick with".

Fuck
that man, i don't wanna be generic or predictable, i wanna be
mysterious...like you never know what's gonna happen next, that's
thrilling, playing safe is boring to me.

Q4
– So lets talk about your new single. It's probably one of your
best tracks to date. Shows Tongue in a more upbeat mood. Was that the
intention to release a more vibrant and upbeat single as your
previous EP's did feature some dark songs.

B:
I always loved pop and dance rock music, especially from the 80's so
it was natural thing for me to include some type of similar musical
vibes into some of my songs. I knew that's gonna happen, sooner or
later.

Mixing
those ideas with various r'n'r stuff is a recipe for "No Handles
To Hold".

Despite
that i think this song is still very dark lyrically so it's not
always the case that lyrics do match the music. I have a bunch of new
songs that are completely different.

Q5
– You now have a new band member joining Tongue. Ana. Hi Ana. How
are things with you today. How did you both meet and when did you
decide to ask Ana to join the band.

A:
Hi Steve! It’s been fantastic lately, especially since I’m back
in Belgrade to play with Biza and some other bands that inspire me.
Since I’m living in Oslo, Norway for some time now, I use all the
free time I can get to come back and do some shows, record songs and
just enjoy while jamming with some really cool musicians. Belgrade
has a lot of great artists to offer to the world, so I’m using all
the opportunities I can get to be inspired and grow artistically.
Biza is a very huge part of that scene and I’m very lucky to have
known him some years back, since we’re both part of the underground
alternative scene. I’ve also been a huge fan of his work, so it was
kinda natural that this collaboration happened.

Q6
– Have you written any new material together or played any shows
together yet. Or are there plans for both of these things in the
future.

B:
No we haven't yet but i am very open to work with Ana on some future
stuff. She's an amazing and very talented girl in my opinion and
above all great friend.

I
look forward to all our new adventures, and am so very grateful to
have her by my side. I hope we'll be touring Europe together later
this year.

Q7
– In your own words. How would you describe your overall sound as
Tongue does feature a lot of different sounds.

B:
Our music is like orgies in the dark. You are actually not sure who
you're dealing with but the pleasure comes from different sides. It's
still better than pissing in the wind.

A:
I hear a lot of various influences mixed up nicely into a meaningful
rock’n’roll pie, sweet & juicy so you just can’t get enough
of it!

Q8
– Which artists and musicians influence you both individually and
as a band.

B:
I always admired musicians who are not afraid to explore and take
risks with their music but at the same time are down to earth people
and are not pretentious assholes.

I
like people who rock hard and don't give a fuck, Lemmy from Motorhead
for example.

A:
There’s a lot… But if anybody asked me which artist I would want
to be born as, it would probably be Mike Patton or P.J. Harvey
because of their artistic versatility and just pure talent.

Q9
– Has the Serbian Stoner/Hard Rock Scene changed much since the
last time I interviewed you back in 2012. Can you get gigs more
easily or is still very hard to arrange.

B:
No it hasn't changed at all, serbian stoner/hard rock scene almost
doesn't exist, just a few bands here and there.

Most
of the bands play some
indie/shoegaze/pop/post-punk/instrumental/ambient/metal thing

and
i am not much into that trendy stuff.

And
clubs...it's not so hard to arrange the show but we have a lack of
crowd support here, people have lost interest in good rock music,
that's a shitty fact.

Q10
- What is your live set-up when performing on stage. Any advanced
rigs or are you guys have a more straight forward set-up.

B:
We perform as a trio, 2 guitars and drums, no bass. We use standard
live set-up but we also run one guitar through another separate
channel including poly-octaver and bass amp so we can get some bottom
end sound.

And
yes, i hate strobe lights! ..and smoke machines too, I only like to
operate them.

Q11
– What are you thoughts on the crowd-funding scene where bands and
artists ask fans to help fund their latest album, tour or release.
Are you fans of this medium. Would yourselves ever go down this
route.

B:
That's pretty lame if you ask me. I really don't know where that
shit came from. It's more easy to make albums today than 20 or 30
years ago and you don't do that every day.

Almost
every kid knows how to record a song at home easily. It's not just
showing disrespect to your fans but to other musicians as well. Fuck
those hipsters, fuck them!

Sadly
we had that issue here with some local morons. They wanted like 200
euros for having a dinner with you and let you be in their rehearsal
space, and they're not even famous.

Hilarious
stuff man.

A:
Honestly, I’m less irritated by crowd-funding than Biza. If a band
has an opportunity to be helped by its fans, I don’t see it
necessarily as a hipster thing. New technologies - new evolution of
resourcefulness, because you still need money for printing LPs,
T-shirts, not to mention all the other expenses involving recording
and equipment. If you have a fan base, it can be useful.

Q12
– Tongue has had quite a journey over the last few years or so.
What have been the highs and lows over the last few years. And would
you change anything about it.

B:
I am proud of that first Tongue EP, it was something completely new
to me and i was in a position to do the things I never did before.

On
the other hand I’ve lost respect for some people that were around
the band, got disappointed and stuff like that but I wouldn't change
anything, I believe everything happens for a reason.

At
least I owe nothing to anyone.

Q13
– You give your music away for Free Download via Bandcamp. Is that
an easy decision to make. As it's obviously very expensive to record
music.

B:
I think i'll always give my music away for free because i wanna
reach out to as many people as possible. I never cared about money
and this is not about money.

Sometimes
music is a way to help people, make them happy or bring them together
and that's exactly what i wanna do.

Besides
that, if someone really like your band and want to show some respect
he'll buy the record or pay the ticket to see you, and if not it's
still ok.

Q14
– What are your thoughts on BandCamp. I think it's a brilliant and
powerful website which has introduced me to many great bands such as
yourselves. Has it helped you a great deal in getting your music
across to the masses.

B:
Bandcamp and similar sites are not important as blogs are i think,
at the end of a day it's just a hosting service, blogs are much more
than that.

Without
blogs people wouldn't be able to hear many great bands and read about
them.

Mainstream
media are all about popular acts, they don't give a shit about good,
less known bands. So thank you man for doing all this! You rule!

Q15
- If you could give any advice to people wanting to start a band
what would it be.

B:
I'll quote one famous musician: " When you expect anything from
music, you expect too much ".

Play
music for yourself and be yourself, if others like and appreciate it
then great. Give your best all the time and never lose your faith.

A:
If you love music and to perform, do anything to make it work. There
will be ups & downs, as always in life, but never give up,
because life is all about being creative & having the aesthetic
pleasure from being inspired.

Q16
- Apart from the new single what else do you have in store over the
next 12 months or so. I am hoping a new album will be released soon.

B:
We'll be start working on some live project, it will be audio/visual
thing with live EP to follow. Next year you can expect our first full
length album, half of the songs are almost done.

I
hope we'll be doing European tour later this year and soon we'll have
vinyl with our EP trilogy on it.

Q17
– If you could change anything within the Doom/Stoner Metal scene.
What would it be and the reasons why.

B:
I'd like to see less generic bands. Most of the bands sound the same
and it's so boring. Bring some originality to your music, take some
risks.

A:
I wish that there were more girls involved with playing and
composing, ‘cause it would definitely bring out a more interesting
feel to it, like Kylesa guitarist Laura for example – she blew me
away when I saw them live! Ladies can definitely find a way to
express themselves in this genre of music.

Q18
– And finally, do you have anything to say to your fans.

B:
We'll rock the world! Don't forget us.

A:
Stay true, and In September – come to see us live on tour!

Thanks
for doing this interview. Really appreciate it. As you know I will
always promote your releases. Keep up the excellent work. And no
doubt we will hear from you again. Keep on rocking!!!

Band Submissions

To those bands who have recently issued their first demo or album via bandcamp and would like to be featured on our 666 Pack Review or considered for a full review or stream please contact Aaron via email including your EPK, band bio, album file or download code, including artwork.

To those bands issuing their sophomore record and so on and would like to be considered for a review or stream on the blog. Get in touch using the same address above

We will consider bands from any genre but exclusively stoner, sludge, doom, psych, post-metal, experimental, black-metal etc. (Whilst I would like to respond to every email, this is not always possible.) Thanks